The Strasburg-Franklin Tigers will take on the Mt. Vernon Yellowjackets at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Strasburg-Franklin 4.1, Mt. Vernon 2.8) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Indian Valley hit Strasburg-Franklin with a six-run seventh inning on Thursday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Tigers fell just short of the Braves by a score of 6-4. Surprisingly, this marked the Tigers' fourth straight game in which the away team has come away the victor.
Ella Gilkerson made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-2 with one home run and two RBI. Addy Sibila was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI.
Meanwhile, Mt. Vernon came tearing into Wednesday's match with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7.2 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They blew past the Bulldogs 17-6. Considering the Yellowjackets have won nine contests by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Miranda Oswalt looked comfortable as she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over four innings pitched. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Brooke Dovenbarger, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two doubles. That's the most hits she has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Carly Kennedy, who went 2-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Mt. Vernon was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .390. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .300 or higher in 14 consecutive games.
Strasburg-Franklin's loss dropped their record down to 9-7. As for Mt. Vernon, their record is now 13-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Strasburg-Franklin has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Mt. Vernon struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
